Which ranking system to follow ?

warblersrule
Tue, 17 Mar 2015 21:07:03 +0000

ayprcwbjmy:

For every person here on CC that says to ignore the rankings, there seems to be one who religiously follow them.

You’ll find a correlation between the length of time on CC and (dis)trust of rankings. The majority of people who rely heavily on rankings are those who don’t know better.

My recommended method of making a college list:

1. Sit down with your parents and have a discussion about finances. You need to know what you can and can’t afford. If you need schools with good financial or merit aid, that needs to be factored into account.

2. Visit colleges in your area, even if you’re not that interested in those specific colleges. Visiting a variety of colleges will help you figure out what characteristics you do and don’t want in your college.

3. Draw up a list of factors that you consider important. Do you want an urban campus or a rural one? A large university or a small liberal arts college? Is a big athletics scene important to you? Do you want a campus where everyone lives on campus or where most people commute? Do you want to be part of a thriving Greek scene or avoid one? Is a big LGBT or religious community important? Do you prefer single-sex or co-ed? There are many other things you may want to consider.

4. After you have your list of factors, draw up a list of at least 30 or so schools that meet most of your criteria. CC is helpful at this point; [it has an excellent search engine](http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_search/). College Board’s search tool is also helpful.

5. Get as much information about your list as possible. Visit the colleges. Read books like the Fiske Guide or Insider’s Guide. Ask for info on CC. Attend information sessions in your area in the fall.

6. Narrow your list down to about 6-10 colleges. Be sure it has at has at least one or two safeties you can afford and a good mix of matches (50/50 chance of admission) and reaches (admission possible but unlikely).